Glass feeding apparatus having a plural charge orifice plate support frame

ABSTRACT

A PLURAL CHARGE ORIFICE PLATE SUPPORT FRAME IS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO THE OUTLET SPOUT CASING OF A MOLTEN GLASS FEEDER BOWL, AND A SLIDING LATCH, ALSO MOUNTED TO THE CASING, CLAMPS A FREE END OF THE FRAME IN ITS RAISED POSITION SO-THAT AN INTERNALLY COOLED PLURAL CHARGE ORIFICE PLATE IS POSITIONED ADJACENT THE OUTLET SPOUT. THE FRAME INCLUDES AN ANNULAR PORTION WHICH IS HOLLOW AND CARRIES COOLING AIR TO THE ORIFICE PLATE. THE SLIDING LATCH INCLUDES A SLIDE MOVABLE ACROSS THE PATH OF PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE FREE END OF THE FRAME, THE FREE END AND THE SLIDE HAVING COOPERATING RAMP SURFACES FOR CAMMING THE FREE END INTO A LATCH OPENING.

F. w. WINZER 3,560,188 GLASS FEEDING APPARATUS HAVING A PLURAL CHARGE Feb, 2, 1971 ORIFICE PLATE SUPPORT FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet- 1 Filed July 5, 1968 INVENTOR. FREDERICK W. WINZER ATTORNEYS Feb, 2, 1971 F. w. WINZER 3,560,185

GLASS FEEDING APPARATUS HAVING A PLURAL CHARGE ORIFICE PLATE SUPPORT FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1968 United States Patent C) 3,560,188 GLASS FEEDING APPARATUS HAVING A PLURAL CHARGE ORIFICE PLATE SUP- PORT FRAME Frederick W. Winzer, East Granby, Conn., assignor to Emhart Corporation, Bloomfield, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed July 3, 1968, Ser. No. 742,346 Int. Cl. C03b /26 US. Cl. 65328 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plural charge orifice plate support frame is pivotally mounted to the outlet spout casing of a molten glass feeder bowl, and a sliding latch, also mounted to the casing, clamps a free end of the frame in its raised position so that an internally cooled plural charge orifice plate is positioned adjacent the outlet spout. The frame includes an annular portion which is hollow and carries cooling air to the orifice plate. The sliding latch includes a slide movable across the path of pivotal movement of the free end of the frame, the free end and the slide having cooperating ramp surfaces for camming the free end into a latch opening.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to molten glass feeding apparatus and deals more particularly with a movable support frame for positioning a plural charge forming orifice Plate adjacent the outlet spout of a feeder bowl.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a hinged support for an internally cooled orifice plate, which support is so constructed that the plural charge orifice plate can be oriented therein with its openings or orifices in any convenient angular relationship to permit use of the apparatus with an infinite variety of plural charge glassware forming machine configurations.

The drawings show a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawings and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a feeder bowl with a triple gob orifice plate mounted in the outlet spout thereof, the orifices or openings in the plate being arranged in line with the direction of flow of the molten glass from a forehearth (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the feeder bowl and outlet spout casing taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, showing the orifice plate support frame in its raised position in solid lines, and in broken lines in a position intermediate said raised position and a depending position (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a horizontal plan view of the hinged support frame shown in FIG. 2, with the orifice plate removed.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4 -4 of FIG. 3, showing the sliding latch mechanism for clamping the support frame in its raised position.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3 being a further detail of the latch mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Turning now to the drawings in greater detail, FIGS 1 and 2 show a molten glass feeder bowl 10 mounted in an outlet spout casing 12 which is adapted for attachment to the downstream end of a forehearth (not shown) along its generally flat side 14. The feeder bowl 10 and the casing 12 are of conventional construction, and a typical installation would also include a suitable molten glass feeder mechanism, with reciprocating plungers and the like for periodically forcing charges of molten glass downwardly through an outlet spout 16 defined in the lower wall of the feeder bowl. For example, two such reciprocating plungers might be adapted for use in feeding molten glass through the three orifices 18, 18 in the orifice plate 20 in the manner suggested by Barker in Pat. No. 2,340,729, or by Peiler in Pat. No. 2,654,184. While the disclosures in these patents relate to a double orifice plate through which molten glass is forced by a single plunger, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that two or more such plungers might beadapted for feeding molten glass through a triple orifice plate of the type disclosed herein.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved orifice plate support frame 22 is hingedly supported from the underside of the outlet spout casing 12 adjacent the spout portion 16 for movement between a depending position (not shown) to the solid line position shown in FIG 2. As best shown in FIG. 3, the means for pivotally supporting the frame 22 comprises a fixed hinge portion 24 adapted for attachment to the underside of the outlet spout casing 12 by screws extending through the holes 26, 26 provided in the hinge portion for this purpose. The fixed hinge portion 24 carries a shaft 28 which extends through arms 30, 30 provided on the frame 22. Preferably, each of the arms 30, 30 includes an extension 32 which protrudes as shown in FIG. 2 so as to engage a jamb bar 34 when the bar is placed adjacent the underside of the feeder bowl outlet spout casing. This bar 34 permits the frame 22 to be lowered from the solid line position shown, and to 'be held in the intermediate position shown in broken lines in that view. As so oriented the triple gob orifice plate 20 can be conveniently inspected as well as conveniently removed for replacement or repair without interfering with sub-adjacent glass gob shearing mechanisms of the type normally provided beneath the feeder bowl.

The orifice plate support frame 22 includes an annular ring portion as best shown in FIG. 3, which ring portion defines an annular chamber or cavity 36 extending completely around the ring portion and having an inlet port through which cooling air can be introduced by the flexible line 38. Preferably, the flexible line 38 communicates with ports in the fixed portion 24 of the hinge and thence with a source of cooling air under pressure 40 which supplies cooling air at a controlled rate to the triple gob orifice plate through additional ports (not shown) in the annular portion of the frame 22.

The triple gob orifice plate 20 is preferably mounted in a pan 42 with an insulating material such as Sil-O-Cel packed between the holder pan 42 and the plate 20. Internal passageways are defined in the insulating material, and in the holder pan 42 so as to provide cooling air to the orifice plate 20 adjacent the orifices in a well known manner. Thus, cooling air can be conveniently ported to the orifice plate and its associated pan whatever the orientation of the latter in the feeder bowl as a result of the annular cavity 36 which extends completely around the circular pan.

In further accordance with the present invention, latch means is provided adjacent the outlet spout 16 of the feeder bowl, generally opposite to the hinge bracket 24 on the outlet spout casing 12, so as to cooperate with the free end 44 of the hinged support frame 22 for clamping the frame and its associated orifice plate and pan 42 in raised positions adjacent the feeder bowl outlet spout 16 as best shown in solid lines in FIG. 2. Preferably, said latch means comprises a slide movable across the path of pivotal movement of the frame free end portion 44. The free end portion of the frame and the slide have cooperating ramp surfaces thereon, best shown in FIG. 5, so arranged as to cause the frame to be raised slightly by the slide as the latter is moved in one lateral direction indicated by the arrow 45 in FIG. 5. More particularly, said latch means includes a fixed generally horizontally extending bracket 46 best shown in FIG. 3 having openings therein as indicated at 48, 48 which permit the bracket to be permanently attached to the underside of the outlet spout casing. The bracket 46 is provided with aligned laterally extending slots 50, 50 for slidably receiving screws 52, 52 having bushings provided on the screws so as to permit free sliding movement between the screws and the fixed bracket 46. The slide portion of the latch means comprises upper and lower plates 54 and 56 respectively, which plates are connected to one another by the screws 52, 52.

The lower slide plate 56 is arranged on the lower side of the bracket 46 as best shown in FIG. 4 and defines a ramp surface 58 which cooperates with a ramp surface 60 provided for this purpose on the free end 44 of the frame so that the latter is urged upwardly in response to lateral movement of the slide 56 in the direction of the arrow 45 in FIG. 5. Thus, the laterally movable slide associated with the latch means of the present invention is capable of raising the pivoted support frame 46 so as to seat the orifice plate 20 in position against the underside of the feeder bowl.

In further accordance with the present invention, means is provided for preventing advertent return movement of the slide, and as shown in FIG. 4, said means comprises a safety catch 62 pivotally mounted to the upper slide plate 54 adjacent one of its ends for movement between the active position shown in full lines and the inactive position shown in broken lines of that figure. In the active, or safe position, the catch 62 engages an edge portion 64 of the fixed bracket 46 to prevent movement of the slide in the return direction. When it is necessary to lower the frame 22, the safety catch 62 can be pivoted counterclockwise to the broken line position, and the lower slide plate 56 tapped slightly at its left hand 57 as viewed in FIG. 4. When the ramp surface 58 on the lower slide plate 56 clears the ramp surface 60 on the free end 44 of the frame 22, the latter can be pivoted downwardly to either the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, or to the full 90 depending position if desired.

Thus, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the latch means described hereinabove occupies a minimum of vertical space beneath the outlet spout casing 12 of the feeder bowl, thereby providing a maximum utilization of this space by the shear mechanism normally provided below the feeder bowl,

I claim:

1. In a glass feeding apparatus for forming molten glass gobs at the outlet spout of a feeder bowl, the improvement comprising a circular orifice plate having a plurality of openings therethrough, an orifice plate support frame with an annular ring portion for receiving said circular orifice plate, means pivotally supporting one end of said frame from the underside of the feeder bowl adjacent the outlet spout, latch means mounted to said feeder bowl adjacent said outlet spout in diametrically opposed relationship to said means pivotally supporting said one frame end, said frame having a free end opposite said one pivotally supported end, which free end is movable from and to a latch opening defined by said latch means, said latch means including a slide movable across the path of pivotal movement of said frame free end, said free end and said slide having cooperating ramp surfaces for camming said frame free end into said latch opening when said slide is moved in one direction.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said latch means further includes a fixed generally horizontal bracket attached to the underside of the feeder bowl and having aligned laterally extending slots defined therein, said slide comprising upper and lower slide plates arranged on either side of said bracket, and screws connecting said plates, each screw extending through one of said slots to restrain said slide plates to limited lateral movement in said one direction and in a return direction.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said lower slide plate defines one of said ramp surfaces, and a safety catch pivotally mounted to said upper slide plate for movement between an inactive position and a safe position wherein said catch engages said fixed bracket to prevent movement of said slide in the return direction.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 further characterized by a jamb bar, and wherein said pivotally mounted end of said frame includes a protruding portion for engaging said bar when the latter is placed adjacent the underside of the feeder bowl and when said frame is lowered away from the outlet spout whereby the frame is retained at a downwardly inclined acute angle with respect to the horizontal for facilitating removal and replacement of the orifice plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,519,885 12/1924 Tucker et al. -324X 1,692,589 11/1928 Soubier 65327X 2,074,133 3/1937 Rodin 292X 2,565,964 8/1951 Graham et al 292-256X 3,393,989 7/1968 Strausbaugh 65-325 S. LEON BASHORE, Primary Examiner S. R. FRIEDMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 65326; 292--l45 

